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Speaking to The Sun, Simon said: "It was a tiny bit awkward, the fact Lisa was there. I’ve known Lisa for years, spent time with her on my own and spoken to her, and let her know that obviously she’s still welcome.

"Our show of friendship is probably what you see in the first show. Nobody was excluded, it wasn’t awkward."

Ant McPartlin (Image: Brian Mackness)

Simone continued to gush about Ant and showed his support during his recovery.

He said: "We’ve known each other a long time, and you stand by the people you work with over the years, for the obvious reasons.

"We always stand by our friends. We’re all human."

It was recently announced by ITV that Ant's co-host and good pal Declan Donnelly was going to host the show solo.